scholarly journals What Do Public Health Graduates Do and Where Do They Go? An Analysis of Job Destinations and Mismatch in Australian Public Health Graduates

Author(s):  
Rory David Watts ◽  
Devin C. Bowles ◽  
Colleen Fisher ◽  
Ian W. Li

Background: It is not well understood what occupations public health graduates have after graduation, nor is it well known whether their education provides them with the relevant knowledge and skills to feel well matched to their occupations. Furthermore, it is commonly presumed that public health graduates work in government, and investments in education would bolster this workforce. Methods: We aimed to describe the common occupations of Australian public health graduates, describe the heterogeneity of graduate destinations, describe the level of mismatch that graduates report, and compare these results with other fields of study. We used eight years of Australian graduate survey data (2008–2015) from the Graduate Destinations Survey, examining outcomes data from 8900 public health graduates from four levels of education. We compared occupation and industry heterogeneity, and level of occupational mismatch between public health graduates, and graduates from other fields of education. Results: Public health graduates report having a broad set of occupations in a broad set of industries after graduation, and this breadth is dissimilar to most health degrees. Furthermore, public health graduates tend to have average or lower-than-average rates of mismatch. Conclusions: Despite going into a broad set of occupations and industries, graduates from public health tend to report being well prepared given their education. Given that both occupation and industry outcomes are heterogeneous for graduates, an investment in public health education does not guarantee an increase in the governmental public health workforce.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Perkiö ◽  
R Harrison ◽  
M Grivna ◽  
D Tao ◽  
C Evashwich

Abstract Education is a key to creating solidary among the professionals who advance public health’s interdisciplinary mission. Our assumption is that if all those who work in public health shared core knowledge and the skills for interdisciplinary interaction, collaboration across disciplines, venues, and countries would be facilitated. Evaluation of education is an essential element of pedagogy to ensure quality and consistency across boundaries, as articulated by the UNESCO education standards. Our study examined the evaluation studies done by programs that educate public health professionals. We searched the peer reviewed literature published in English between 2000-2017 pertaining to the education of the public health workforce at a degree-granting level. The 2442 articles found covered ten health professions disciplines and had lead authors representing all continents. Only 86 articles focused on evaluation. The majority of the papers examined either a single course, a discipline-specific curriculum or a teaching method. No consistent methodologies could be discerned. Methods ranged from sophisticated regression analyses and trends tracked over time to descriptions of focus groups and interviews of small samples. We found that evaluations were primarily discipline-specific, lacked rigorous methodology in many instances, and that relatively few examined competencies or career expectations. The public health workforce enjoys a diversity of disciplines but must be able to come together to share diverse knowledge and skills. Evaluation is critical to achieving a workforce that is well trained in the competencies pertinent to collaboration. This study informs the pedagogical challenges that must be confronted going forward, starting with a commitment to shared core competencies and to consistent and rigorous evaluation of the education related to training public health professionals. Key messages Rigorous evaluation is not sufficiently used to enhance the quality of public health education. More frequent use of rigorous evaluation in public health education would enhance the quality of public health workforce, and enable cross-disciplinary and international collaboration for solidarity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cath Conn ◽  
Shoba Nayar ◽  
Margaret Hinepo Williams ◽  
Radilaite Cammock

Key drivers of change in the 21st century—pandemic, technology advance, social disparity—are shaping the public health industry, including employment and education. In 2020, COVID-19 brought rapid change to the teaching of public health in higher education. In this reflective essay, we move beyond the delivery of existing curricula shifting from classroom to online, and consider the greater agenda of a transformative educational paradigm. This is broadly conceptualized as a shift from a “factory model education” to one of “personalized learning” with an emphasis on fostering creativity and heutagogical (student-driven) models, underpinned by technology, and real world application involving problem and project-based learning in a changing industry. Such change has stemmed both from the impact of COVID-19 on the education system, and in response to a more momentous transformation in public health careers and societal expectations of a public health workforce.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike Schleiff ◽  
Haley Brahmbhatt ◽  
Preetika Banerjee ◽  
Megha Reddy ◽  
Emily Miller ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Public health training has been expanding in India in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional attention to the importance of public health programs and the need for a strong workforce. This paper aims to assess the current capacity for public health education and training in India and provide recommendations for improved approaches to meet current and future public health needs. Methods: We conducted a desk review of public health training programs via extensive internet searches, literature reviews and expert faculty consultations. Among those programs, we purposively selected faculty members to participate in in-depth interviews. We developed summary statistics based on the desk review. For qualitative analysis, we utilized a combination of deductive and inductive coding to identify key themes and systematically reviewed strengths and weaknesses for each theme. Results: The desk review captured 59 institutions offering public health training across India. The majority of training programs were graduate level degrees including master of public health (MPH) and master of science (MS) degrees. Key themes included collaborations, mentorship, curriculum standardization, tuition and funding, and student demand for public health education and careers. Collaborations and mentorship were highly valued but varied in quality across institutions. Curricula lacked standardization but also contained substantial flexibility and innovation as a result. Public sector programs were affordable and student stipend varied across institutions. Further development of the demand-side with greater opportunities for career for careers in public health is needed. Conclusion: Public health education and training in India has a strong foothold. There are numerous opportunities for continued expansion and strengthening of this field, to support a robust multi-disciplinary public health workforce that will contribute towards achieving the sustainable development goals.


Author(s):  
Vibha Joshi ◽  
Nitin Kumar Joshi ◽  
Komal Bajaj ◽  
Praveen Suthar ◽  
Gregory Fant ◽  
...  

Background: Building the public health workforce in India along with strengthening the public health systems across the Nation are essential components necessary to achieve the sustainable development goals for India. In the Indian context, there is limited information available for undergraduate public health education. The central aim of this brief study is to elucidate the undergraduate public health education landscape at selected institutions in India.Methods: A mixed methods approach was used in this brief study. First, cross-sectional, scoping review was used. Then, to describe student perceptions and attitude towards undergraduate public health curriculum, primary data were collected by using a questionnaire. A self-administered questionnaire was developed after extensive literature search. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize questionnaire results. Chi-square tests were used to help identify factors that may influence student perceptions and attitudes.Results: Through scoping rapid review and internet search, eight institutions were identified that are offering undergraduate public health courses in India. Most institutes in India have 3 years duration for the undergraduate public health degree courses. Most of students (89%) believed that the undergraduate public health course increased their knowledge in the field of public health. We found an association between student perceptions about community benefits from trained undergraduate public health workforce.Conclusions: The undergraduate public health education initiatives should be promoted and envisioned as a new strategy for public health capacity-building in public health in India.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Chikhladze ◽  
N Pitskhelauri

Abstract Background Motivation and effective supervision are key factors in postgraduate Public Health Education. On the one hand motivation represents a power that derives and then steers students’ activities in order to achieve their objectives; on the other hand, supervision practices can significantly influence the behavior of students, from encouraging students to endeavor future goals to letting them lose the motivation to continue the study. The aim of this research is to study motivation of PhD students and to explore the supervision practices at the Department of Public Health. Methods A Special questionnaire has been developed and quantitative method has been used for this study. The questionnaires were distributed to all PhD students at TSU Faculty of Medicine. Results A total of 79 completed questionnaires have been used for analyses (response rate 52,6%). The study found that around 90% of the PhD students are generally satisfied with existing supervisory experiences. 87% of respondents mentioned that they have regular meetings with their supervisors and the importance of these meetings are evaluated as important or very important. The study also found that PhD students are more influenced by intrinsic motives and students place priority emphasis on the interest in scientific research and continuing learning experience. At the same time the greatest incentive for deciding to become a PhD student is the possibility of acquiring experience within international partnerships, among them short- or long-term mobility in the Framework of DIKU funded project ,,Georgian-Norwegian Collaborative in Public Health’’ and NIH funded project, ICREATE - Increasing Capacity in Research in Eastern Europe’’. Conclusions The study has provided the insights into supervision practices and PhD students’ motivation. Survey has raised some emerging issues, which are inclined to be improved in order to strengthen the postgraduate Public Health Education. Key messages The research emphasizes the importance of evaluating the motivation and supervision practices in postgraduate public health education for strengthen the public health graduates and workforce. The research highlights the impacts of international collaborative partnerships in transitional countries.


2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Gebbie ◽  
Bernard D. Goldstein ◽  
David I. Gregorio ◽  
Walter Tsou ◽  
Patricia Buffler ◽  
...  

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE, the Board) is the result of many years of intense discussion about the importance of credentialing within the public health community. The Board is scheduled to begin credentialing graduates of programs and schools of public health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in 2008. Among the many activities currently underway to improve public health practice, the Board views credentialing as one pathway to heighten recognition of public health professionals and increase the overall effectiveness of public health practice. The process underway includes developing, preparing, administering, and evaluating a voluntary certification examination that tests whether graduates of CEPH-accredited schools and programs have mastered the core knowledge and skills relevant to contemporary public health practice. This credentialing initiative is occurring at a time of heightened interest in public health education, and an anticipated rapid turnover in the public health workforce. It is fully anticipated that active discussion about the credentialing process will continue as the Board considers the many aspects of this professional transition. The Board wishes to encourage these discussions and welcomes input on any aspects relating to implementation of the credentialing process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Grjibovski ◽  
V A Postoev ◽  
A A Usynina ◽  
O A Kharkova ◽  
JØ Odland

Abstract A Norwegian-Russian cooperation in public health education in the Euro-Arctic Barents region started in the 1980s. In the 1990s it has been mostly limited to research- and student exchanges. In September 2006 seven universities including Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk (Russia), University of Tromsø (Norway), Nordic School of Public Health (Sweden), Umeå University (Sweden), Mid-Sweden University (Sundsvall, Sweden), Tampere University (Finland) and the National Institute of Public Health (Oslo, Norway), came together to found the International school of public health in Arkhangelsk, Russia (ISPHA). The mission of the ISPHA was to increase the level of knowledge in methods of research and practice in the field of public health, and to promote the implementation of this knowledge in Northwest Russia. Since 2007, ISPHA is providing public health education based on a 2-year MPH training. In 2007, ISPHA became the first full member of ASPHER. Forty-eight specialists got MPH degrees at ISPHA as a part of the program. In 2013 a PhD programme between NSMU and the University of Tromsø was established. In 2013-19, 6 PhD theses were defended, and totally 28 full-text papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. In 2017 two new PhD programs in public health between Norway and Russia were initiated. The programme in environmental health and registry epidemiology in Arctic and Sub-Arctic Russia is run in collaboration between two Russian and two Norwegian universities while the second programme on cardiovascular epidemiology is run by NSMU and the University of Tromsø. Both programmes have already recruited PhD students and teachers from both countries. Achievements, challenges, sustainability and future perspectives will be discussed. In spite of political perturbations, cooperation in public health education and research between Norway and Russia is contributing to better understanding of each other and strengthening public health workforce in Arctic Russia. Key messages Norwegian Russian cooperation evolved from exchanges to PhD programs. Most of the graduates strengthen public health capacity in their regions.


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